U.S. patent number 7,171,193 [Application Number 10/806,490] was granted by the patent office on 2007-01-30 for telecommunications interruption and disconnection apparatus and methods.
This patent grant is currently assigned to The Hoffman Group LLC. Invention is credited to Lawrence Andrew Hoffman.
United States Patent |
7,171,193 |
Hoffman |
January 30, 2007 |
Telecommunications interruption and disconnection apparatus and
methods
Abstract
Embodiments of interruption-sound devices for producing an
interruption sound signal in a telecommunications transmission
signal comprising a signal generator circuit and a processor
circuit, in accordance with the present invention. The interruption
sound signals are input into the appropriate location of the
telecommunications device such that the interruptee perceives
characteristic sounds such as those encountered when a mobile phone
is about to drop a call. As a result, the interruptee will place
blame for call disconnection on the mobile-phone technology and not
on the interruptor. The interruption-sound device is suitable for
incorporated into an external interruption module, a landline
phone, and a mobile phone.
Inventors: |
Hoffman; Lawrence Andrew
(Portland, OR) |
Assignee: |
The Hoffman Group LLC
(Portland, OR)
|
Family
ID: |
34987008 |
Appl.
No.: |
10/806,490 |
Filed: |
March 22, 2004 |
Prior Publication Data
|
|
|
|
Document
Identifier |
Publication Date |
|
US 20050208931 A1 |
Sep 22, 2005 |
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
455/417; 455/425;
455/67.13; 455/76; 455/95; 455/517; 455/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
H04M
1/7385 (20130101); H04M 1/72403 (20210101); H04M
1/0202 (20130101) |
Current International
Class: |
H04M
3/42 (20060101); H04B 1/034 (20060101); H04B
1/40 (20060101); H04B 17/00 (20060101); H04K
3/00 (20060101); H04Q 7/00 (20060101); H04Q
7/20 (20060101) |
Field of
Search: |
;455/556.1-556.2,415-420,3.03-3.06,414.1,462,466,42-47,517,76-77,70-72,79,82,85-86,550.1,260,267,264-265,273,275,189.1,190.1,209,211-213,1,48,67.13,67.7,401,95,115.1,423-425,701
;327/105-107 ;331/39-43 ;370/265-269,271,290,287-288
;379/69,422,78-83,142.18,32.05,201.07-201.08,211.01,418,88.19,100.14,142.04
;375/260,279,269-270 |
References Cited
[Referenced By]
U.S. Patent Documents
Foreign Patent Documents
Primary Examiner: Zewdu; Meless
Attorney, Agent or Firm: Silicon Forest Patent Group
Fordenbacher, Esq.; Paul J
Claims
What is claimed:
1. An interruption-sound device for producing an interruption-sound
signal in a telecommunications transmission signal, the apparatus
comprising: a signal generating circuit for producing an
interruption-sound signal; and a processing circuit for processing
the interruption-sound signal in combination with a voice signal
generated by a microphone to produce a transmission signal
including the interruption-sound signal, wherein the signal
generating circuit comprises a radio-frequency phase-locked-loop
synthesizer adapted to produce sideband frequencies to degrade or
distort reception of a desired channel by adding modulation
components to create interruption sound and to cause the
transmission signal to be dropped.
Description
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
This invention relates to telecommunication devices, and more
particularly, to components and methods associated with call
interruption and disconnection.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
One focus that has been driving telecommunications technologies is
improving and retaining the connection or "call" between two or
more parties. Little has been done to address the age-old problem
of politely and discreetly interrupting and/or disconnecting a
call. Practically every party to a call, also referred to herein as
a "telephone call" or "phone call", at some time or another, has
had the desire, for various reasons, to interrupt and/or disconnect
a call in mid-conversation. For example, disconnection might be
desired in a business setting where the conversation by the other
party has gone off-topic or has become protracted. When such events
occur, productivity comes to a standstill and stress levels rise in
the party trying to figure out a way to end the call without
appearing to be impolite, offensive, or disinterested.
A call may be disconnected on a common corded phone ("phone" and
"telephone" are used interchangeably herein) by simply hanging up,
such as, by depressing the switch-hook or cradling the handset. A
call may be disconnected on a wireless phone, such as, but not
limited to, a cordless or mobile telephone, by pressing the "end",
"off", or similar button. In either case, call disconnection will
be perceived by the other party as a hang-up and will be
instinctively interpreted as aggressive, rude, and/or offensive
behavior. The hang-up will be long remembered, harmful, and
possibly lead to the disconnection of a desirable relationship.
This would be detrimental not only for personal relationships, but
also for business relationships.
For lack of a better method, a party may resort to a "socially
acceptable" excuse to terminate ("terminate" and "disconnect" are
used interchangeably herein) the call. In many cases, the
conversation may be so controlled by the other party that even a
well-formulated excuse may never have an opportunity to be voiced
in the conversation, let alone lead to a polite conclusion of the
call. This results in the continuation of the call to the dismay of
the party desiring an end to the call.
FIG. 1 illustrates a terrestrial and astral telecommunications
system (TATS) 1. The TATS 1 comprises telecommunication devices or
phones 10, such as mobile phones 12 and corded phones 14, network
nodes 25, transmission/receiving antennas 20, satellites 26 and
satellite transmission/receiving antennas 28, all of which are
capable of bring in communication with one another. Phone-to-phone
telecommunication provides the means in which two or more people
may communicate. The phones 10 are each coupled to a network node
25, which is a component of a network, one or more of which make up
the TATS 1. One example of a TATS 1, among others, includes a
landline network 5, such as a Public Switched Phone Network
("PSTN"), in combination with a mobile phone network 3.
FIG. 2 is a schematic of a corded-phone main functional-components
(CFMFC) 101 of the corded phone 14 shown in FIG. 1. The corded
phone 14 comprises a base unit 15 having a handset 16 and a keypad
43 for data entry. The corded phone 14 is electrically coupled to
the landline network 5 with a phone cord 23 comprising wires. The
handset 16 comprises a microphone 49, a speaker 48, and associated
conductive paths 47. The microphone 49 detects sound pressure waves
149 originating, such as, from a user's voice, and generates an
outgoing analog electrical voice signal 249. The outgoing analog
electrical voice signal 249 is commonly in the form of
instantaneous voltage fluctuations. The outgoing analog electrical
signal 249 is transmitted along the phone cord 23 to eventually be
received by another phone 10. A received analog electrical signal
248 coming from another phone 10, for example, is transmitted to
the speaker 48. The speaker 48 converts the received analog
electrical signal 248 into acoustic energy 148 that can be heard by
the user. Many current landline networks 5 convert the analog
electrical signals 248, 249 to digital formats to assist in
transmission through wire, fiber optics, and high-power wireless
transmission.
The corded phone 14 remains famous for providing high quality sound
and reliability of retaining a phone connection due, in part, to
the relative simplicity of design. The "wired" network, such as the
landline network 5, whether transmitting signals using wires, fiber
optics, and high-power wireless transmission, is relatively robust
against signalloss, noise, and dropped calls.
Referring again to FIG. 1, mobile phones 12, including those
devices having integrated mobile phone functions, are in widespread
use for business as well as for personal wireless
telecommunications. Mobile phones 12 provide users the freedom of
mobility, as they are not coupled to the phone cord 23 of a
landline network 5 in order to place or receive a call. Mobile
phones 12 transmit and receive a radio-frequency signal using one
or more wireless technologies, such as analog cellular, digital
PCS, GSM, satellite, and/or other well-known technologies over the
mobile phone network 3.
FIG. 3 is a schematic of the mobile phone main functional
components (MFMFC) 100 of the mobile phone 12 shown in FIG. 1. The
mobile phone 12 shares many of the same basic components as the
corded phone 14, such as a keypad 43, a microphone 49, and speaker
48. The phone cord 23, though, is replaced by a transmit/receive
antenna 46 and associated components to provide wireless
telecommunications.
The MPMFC 100 comprises, generally, a transceiver circuit 104 and a
controller circuit 102. The transceiver circuit 104 comprises
components for sending and receiving telecommunications, and the
controller circuit 102 generally comprises components for operating
and managing the functions of the mobile phone 12.
The transceiver section 104 comprises the microphone 49, speaker
48, and signal processing components 51. The microphone 49 detects
sound pressure waves 149 and generates an outgoing analog
electrical voice signal 249, commonly in the form of instantaneous
voltage fluctuations, which is transmitted to an analog-to-digital
(A-D) converter 52. The A-D converter 52 converts the outgoing
analog electrical voice signal 249 to an outgoing binary electrical
voice signal 349. The outgoing binary electrical voice signal 349
is transmitted to a digital signal processor 56, which performs
several processing functions on the outgoing binary electrical
voice signal 349 to generate an outgoing modulation signal 449. The
digital signal processor 56 transmits the outgoing modulation
signal 449 to a radio-frequency circuit 58 that produces a
transmission signal. 549. The transmission signal 549 is
transmitted by way of the antenna 46 over the mobile phone network
3 to a receiving device, such as a terrestrial antenna 20,
satellite antenna 26, among others, shown in FIG. 1.
A reception signal 548 is received by the antenna 46 and is
transmitted to the radio-frequency circuit 58. The radio-frequency
circuit 58 processes the reception signal 548 to produce an
incoming modulated signal 448. The incoming modulated signal 448 is
transmitted to the digital signal processor 56, which de-modulates
the incoming modulated signal 448 into an incoming binary
electrical signal 348. The incoming binary electrical signal 348 is
transmitted to a digital-to-analog (D-A) converter 54, which
converts the incoming binary electrical signal 348 into an incoming
analog signal 248 and subsequently transmitted to the speaker 48.
The speaker 48 transforms the incoming analog signal 248 into
auditable sound pressure waves 148 that can be perceived by the
user.
The controller circuit 102 comprises, in general, a keypad 43
having several buttons 44 that enable various operations to be
performed, including dialing a phone number, inputting a phone
number into an alphanumerical database, and so on. In addition, one
of the buttons 44 is provided for initiating a call, often labeled
"send," and another button 44 is provided for disconnecting the
call, often labeled "off" or "end." An alphanumeric display 42
provides a visual display of the status of the mobile phone 12,
including such information as signal strength, remaining battery
capacity, the number which has been dialed, and so on.
A microcontroller 59 provides an electrical interface between the
alphanumeric display 42 and keypad 43 and various components of the
transceiver circuit 104. The microcontroller 59 also provides an
electrical interface to the transceiver circuit 104 via the digital
signal processor 56, the radio-frequency circuit 58, and/or other
components of the MFMFC 100. Instructions executed by the
microcontroller 59 co-ordinate MFMFC 100 operations in response to
various data, such as the activation of the buttons 44, and signals
provided by the MFMFC 100, including, such as, but not limited to,
battery strength and signaling information extracted by the digital
signal processor 56.
A common and aggravating problem associated with mobile phones 12
is the unexpected loss of signal strength which results in poor
sound quality and dropped calls. This loss of signal strength is
associated with, among other things, line-of-sight issues wherein
terrain and/or obstacles come between the mobile phone 12 and the
transmission/receiving antennas 20 of the mobile phone network 3.
Loss of signal strength is also associated with the limitations of
the mobile phone service coverage by a particular service
provider.
Many attempts have been made to improve and overcome poor mobile
phone connection issues, including implementation of digital
network technologies and associated hardware and software
technologies both within the mobile phone 12 and the associated
equipment of the mobile phone network 3. Sound quality and
frequency of dropped connections have been greatly improved but
have yet to reach the quality of the landline network 5 and corded
phones 14.
There remains the unanswered need to provide a mechanism in which
calls may be immediately interrupted and/or terminated in
mid-conversation in a polite and relatively non-offensive way. The
need is particularly acute for a society of mobile phone users
where "always connected" is a way of life.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The present invention provides apparatus and methods for
interrupting and/or disconnecting a call on a telecommunications
device (hereinafter referred to as a "phone") without the
interrupter appearing to the interruptee as being rude or
offensive. Call disconnection is preceded by characteristic sounds,
such as those encountered when a mobile phone is about to drop a
call (such sounds hereinafter referred to as "interruption sound"),
such as, but not limited to, warning tones indicating a discharged
battery, and the characteristic noise, static, and/or distortion of
the sound quality that is perceived by the interruptee as poor
reception/transmission caused by a weak or weakening signal, going
"out-of-range" of the network antenna. In this way, the interruptee
will place blame for call disconnection on the mobile-phone
technology and not place blame on the interrupter. The same can be
used for substantially all telecommunications devices, such as, but
not limited to, landline phones, as the interruptee will perceive
that the call must have been "call forwarded" to the interruptor's
mobile phone.
In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the
phone and/or phone line is provided with a sound generator circuit
comprising a playback circuit and a sound storage circuit including
one or more stored interruption sound signals. When call
disconnection is desired, the interruptor activates the sound
generator circuit by, such as, but not limited to, depressing a
button switch thereby triggering the playback circuit to inject a
pre-recorded interruption sound signal into the voice signal. The
call is subsequently disconnected by the interrupter by hanging up
the phone, by a timer circuit hanging up the phone, among
others.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the
phone and/or phone line is provided with a synthesizer circuit.
When call interruption or disconnection is desired, the interrupter
activates the synthesizer circuit to inject synthesized
interruption sound signals into the voice signal. Suitable
synthesizer circuitry includes, but is not limited to,
voltage-controlled oscillator and/or frequency-filtering circuits.
The call is subsequently disconnected by the interruptor by hanging
up the phone, by a timer circuit hanging up the phone, among
others.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a
mobile phone is provided with a signal generator circuit comprising
a modulator and/or mixer circuit for frequency translation,
frequency changing, and/or heterodyning. A voice signal generated
by the microphone is mixed in combination with a modulating signal
to produce poor sound quality, such as the sounds associated with
loss of signal-strength and/or loss of channel-locking. When call
disconnection is desired, the interrupter activates the modulator
and/or mixer circuit, such as, but not limited to, by depressing a
button switch, triggering the interruption sound signal. The call
is subsequently disconnected by the interrupter by hanging up the
phone, by a timer circuit hanging up the phone, by the loss of
contact with the network due to the degraded transmission signal,
among others.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, a
transmission antenna of a mobile or wireless phone is provided with
an antenna shielding device that blocks and/or degrades the
transmitted radio-frequency signal a predetermined amount. Poor
sound quality is produced, such as the sounds associated with
loss-of-signal strength and/or a dropped call. When call
disconnection is desired, the interruptor engages the shielding
device that advances the shielding device over at least a portion
of the transmission antenna to induce a desired degree of signal
strength reduction. The call is subsequently disconnected by the
interrupter by hanging up the phone, or by advancing the shielding
device over the antenna sufficient to block signal transmission
resulting in the call being dropped from the network.
These and other embodiments, aspects, advantages, and features of
the present invention will be set forth in part in the description
which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in
the art by reference to the following description of the invention
and referenced drawings or by practice of the invention. The
aspects, advantages, and features of the invention are realized and
attained by means of the instrumentalities, procedures, and
combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.
The foregoing is not intended to be an exhaustive list of
embodiments and features of the present invention. Persons skilled
in the art are capable of appreciating other embodiments and
features from the following detailed description in conjunction
with the drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
Specific embodiments of the invention will now be described, by way
of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in
which:
FIG. 1 illustrates a known terrestrial and astral
telecommunications system;
FIG. 2 is a schematic of known corded-phone main
functional-components of the corded phone shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3 is a schematic of known mobile phone main functional
components of the mobile phone shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 4A is a perspective view of a landline phone coupled to a
partial cut-away view of an external interruption-sound device, in
accordance with an embodiment of the invention;
FIG. 4B is a partial cut-away perspective view of a landline phone
comprising an internal interruption-sound device, in accordance
with an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 4C is a partial cut-away perspective view of a mobile phone
comprising an internal interruption-sound device, in accordance
with an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of call interruption and/or disconnection
in accordance with embodiments of methods of the present
invention;
FIG. 6 is a schematic of an interruption-sound device, in
accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 7 is a schematic of a mixer circuit, in accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 8 is a schematic of a switch circuit, in accordance with
another embodiment of the present invention;
FIG. 9 is a schematic of a synthesizer-based interruption-sound
device, in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention;
FIG. 10 is a schematic of a frequency altering interruption-sound
device, in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention;
FIG. 11 is a schematic of a phase-locked-loop frequency
synthesizer, in accordance with an embodiment of the present
invention; and
FIG. 12 is a front cut-away view of a mobile phone comprising an
antenna and an antenna shielding device, in accordance with an
embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
In the following detailed description, reference is made to the
accompanying drawings which form a part hereof wherein like
numerals designate like parts throughout, and in which is shown by
way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may
be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be
utilized and structural or logical changes may be made without
departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the
following detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting
sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined by the
appended claims and their equivalents.
The terms "phone" and "telephone" are used herein to refer to any
telecommunications device, such as, but not limited to, a landline
phone, mobile phone, cordless phone, wireless phone, personal data
assistant with phone functions, and other voice and/or data
telecommunications devices. The term "landline phone" refers to a
phone that is electrically coupled by a wire, such as, but not
limited to a phone cord coupled to a telephone jack, to a landline
network. The term "call" is used herein as it is understood in the
art to refer to an open communications connection between two or
more phones, including, but not limited to, electromagnetic
radiation streaming through an open radio-frequency channel,
electrical signals flowing through an open phone line circuit, and
combinations thereof.
"Call disconnection" refers to the disconnection, disconnection,
breaking, severing, and/or stopping of the carrier stream of a call
wherein the calling parties can no longer communicate without the
parties establishing another call. The term "interrupter" refers to
a party to a call that interrupts and/or disconnects a call. The
"interruptee" refers to a party to an interrupted or disconnected
call who is not the interruptor. The term "interruption sound"
refers to characteristic sounds, perceived by the interruptee, that
hinder or prevent communication between the parties to the call.
Interruption sound includes, but is not limited to, those sounds
that are associated with events leading up to a mobile phone that
is about to drop (disconnect) or has dropped a call. Examples of
those sounds include, but are not limited to, characteristic
warning tones known to indicate that a mobile phone battery is
discharged, and noise, static, and/or distortion of the sound
quality associated with, but not limited to, poor
reception/transmission caused by a weak transmission signal. "Call
interrupting" and "call interruption" refers to deliberate action
by an interrupter that subjects a call to an interruption sound
and/or interruption sound in combination with call
disconnection.
The present invention provides apparatus and methods for
interrupting and/or terminating a phone call without the
interrupter being perceived by the interruptee as being rude or
offensive. The interruptee will place blame for call interruption
and/or disconnection, not on the interruptor, but on just another
noisy and/or dropped call inherent in mobile-phone technology. The
same can be used for substantially all telecommunications devices,
including landline phones, as the interruptee will perceive that
the call had been "call forwarded" to the interruptor's mobile
phone.
FIG. 4A is a perspective view of a landline phone 14 coupled to a
partial cut-away view of an interruption module 60, in accordance
with an embodiment of the invention. The interruption module 60 is
electrically coupled between the landline phone 14 and the landline
network 27 with phone cords 23. The interruption module 60
comprises an interruption-sound device 61 capable of producing and
mixing interruption sound signals into the voice signal to produce
a transmission signal that is perceived by the interruptee during a
call as interruption sounds, which will be described below. The
interruption module 60 further comprises an activation switch 144
for initiating the interruption sound signal. Other apparatus and
methods for initiating the interruption sound signal are
anticipated, such as, but not limited to, optical switches, voice
command, signal command, and activation of one or more buttons 44
on the keypad 43.
FIG. 4B is a partial cut-away perspective view of an
interruption-sound device-equipped (ISDE) landline phone 15
comprising an internal interruption-sound device 61, in accordance
with an embodiment of the present invention. The internal
interruption-sound device 61 is electrically coupled to the
internal circuitry (not shown) of the ISDE landline phone 15 and is
capable of producing and mixing interruption sound signals into the
voice signal to produce a transmission signal that is perceived by
the interruptee during a call as interruption sounds. Call
interruption and/or disconnection is activated as described
below.
FIG. 4C is a partial cut-away perspective view of a mobile phone 13
comprising an internal interruption-sound device 61, in accordance
with an embodiment of the present invention. The internal
interruption-sound device 61 is electrically coupled to the
internal circuitry (not shown) of the mobile phone 13 and is
capable of producing and mixing interruption sound signals into the
voice signal to produce a transmission signal that is perceived by
the interruptee during a call as interruption sounds. Call
interruption and/or disconnection is activated as described
below.
FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of call disruption and/or disconnection in
accordance with embodiments of methods of the present invention. In
one embodiment in accordance with the present invention, the
interruptor activates the interruption-sound device 50 during a
call, thereby causing the interruptee to hear interruption sounds.
After a period of time, the call is automatically disconnected or
manually disconnected by the interruptor 52. In accordance with
another method of the present invention, the interruptor activates
the interruption-sound device 50, and subsequently deactivates the
interruption-sound device 54 to resume the call without
disconnection.
Referring again to FIGS. 4A C, the interruptor controls the call
using one or more methods. In one embodiment, the call can be
manually terminated after the interruption-sound device 61 is
activated in any number of ways, such as, but not limited to,
depressing the switch hook or "end" button after the
interruption-sound device 61 is activated, and/or depressing a
dedicated or multi-functional button or switch adapted for
terminating the call. In another embodiment, the call is
automatically terminated at a predetermined time after the
interruption-sound device 61 is activated, wherein call
disconnection is controlled by a timer circuit, among others, as
will be described below.
In accordance with another method of the present invention, the
interrupter follows the actuation of the interruption-sound device
61, such as, by actuating the button 44 with deactivation of the
interruption-sound device 61, such as, by actuating the button 44 a
second time. In accordance with another method of the present
invention, the interrupter activates the call interruption-sound
device 61 thereby causing the interruptee to hear interruption
sounds for a predetermined period of time, followed by automatic
call disconnection.
Several ways to produce interruption sounds are anticipated, some
of which are included below by way of example. Various embodiments
include the use of stored or created sound signals, and other
embodiments include mechanical signal degradation using
mechanical-electrical interference. Embodiments of apparatus and
methods for mixing the interruption sound signals into the
transmission signal so as to be perceived by the interruptee as
interruption sounds are also anticipated, examples of which are
included below.
FIG. 6 is a schematic of embodiments of interruption-sound devices
61a for producing an interruption sound signal in a
telecommunications transmission signal comprising a signal
generator circuit 66a and a processor circuit 69, in accordance
with the present invention. The signal generator circuit 66a
comprises a playback circuit 167 and a sound storage circuit 267.
The sound storage circuit 267 is adapted to store one or more
interruption-sound signals 367.
In one embodiment of the signal generator circuit 66a, the sound
storage circuit 267 is suitable for storing a pulse-code-modulation
(PCM) sound signal. Pulse-code-modulation is a known technology for
recording and storing recorded sounds for later playback.
In one embodiment, the processor circuit 69 comprises a mixer
circuit 169. The mixer circuit 169 is adapted to combine two or
more signals into a single signal. The processor circuit 69 is
adapted to process the interruption-sound signals 367 in
combination with a voice signal 249 generated by a microphone 49 to
produce a transmission signal 1249 including the interruption-sound
signal. The interruptee will receive the transmission signal 1249
and perceive the interruption-sound signal 367 as interruption
sound.
In another embodiment, the processor circuit 69 comprises a switch
circuit 269. The switch circuit 269 is adapted to switch between
two or more signals. The processor circuit 69 is adapted to process
the interruption-sound signals 367 or the voice signal 249
generated by a microphone 49 to produce a transmission signal 1249
including either the interruption-sound signal 367 or the voice
signal 249. The interruptee will receive the transmission signal
1249 and perceive either the interruption-sound signal 367 as
interruption sound or the voice signal 249.
When call interruption is desired, the interrupter activates the
signal generator circuit 66a. In one embodiment, a trigger circuit
266a is adapted to activate or activate and deactivate the signal
generator circuit 66a. The signal generator circuit 66a activates
the playback circuit 167 to "play" one or more of the stored
interruption-sound signals 367 that is subsequently mixed with the
voice signal 249 by the processor circuit 69 to be transmitted to
the interruptee. In one embodiment, wherein the stored
interruption-sound signal 367 is an analog signal, the analog
signal is transmitted to the processor circuit 69 to incorporate
the analog signal into the voice signal 249. In another embodiment,
wherein the stored interruption-sound signal 367 is a digital
signal, the digital signal is fed into an appropriate circuit, such
as the digital-to-analog (D-A) converter, to convert the digital
signal into an analog signal for mixing with the voice signal 249
into the transmission signal 1249.
In an embodiment in accordance with the present invention, call
disconnection is effected by the interrupter after a desired period
of time of transmitting the interruption-sound signal by hanging up
the phone, such as, but not limited to, selecting the "end," "off,"
or similar button provided on the mobile phone 13 or by depressing
the switch-hook of a landline phone.
In other embodiments in accordance with the present invention, the
signal generator circuit 66a comprises a timer circuit 166 adapted
to disconnect the call automatically after a predetermined length
of time of playback of the interruption-sound signal 367 following
activation by the interrupter. In an embodiment, the interrupter
controls the predetermined period of time. For example, but not
limited thereto, the processor circuit 69 detects the activation of
a specific button 44 on the keypad 43 of the phone 13. The
processor circuit 69 responds by activating the signal generator
circuit 66a. The length of time in which the interruption sound
signal 71 will be transmitted is determined by the specific button
44 pressed on the keypad 43. For example, activation of the number
5 button triggers the processor circuit 69 to trigger the signal
generator circuit 66a to produce the interruption sound signal 71
for five seconds prior to automatic call disconnection. The signal
generator circuit 66a can be turned off after activation to abort
call disconnection.
In yet another embodiment in accordance with the present invention,
automatic call disconnection is aborted by the interrupter with a
second activation of the signal generator circuit 66a.
FIG. 7 is a schematic of a mixer circuit 69 suitable for mixing two
signals of differing types, in accordance with an embodiment of the
present invention. The mixer circuit 69 comprises a .mu.-law/linear
converter circuit 31, a summation circuit 32, and a linear/.mu.-law
converter circuit 33. The mixer circuit 69 allows for the mixing of
interruption sound signals 367 with voice signals 249 so that the
voice of the terminating party can be heard along with interruption
sound. In an embodiment in accordance with the present invention, a
linear-coded stored interruption sound signal 367 is added to,
mixed, or summed together with, a digital-coded voice signal 249,
which requires that the digital-coded voice signal 249 be converted
into a linear-coded voice signal prior to summing.
The stored interruption-sound signal 367 is processed and/or
produced as a linear interruption-sound signal 132 that is input to
a summing circuit 32. Also input to the summing circuit 32 is the
digital voice signal 249 from the user. The digital voice signal
249 is processed into a linear voice signal 130 buy a known device.
One such device is the .mu.-law/linear converter circuit 31, which
is suitable for processing a digital voice signal 30 that is
digitized in mu.-law coded form. The .mu.-law/linear converter
circuit 31 converts the digital voice signal 249 to a linear voice
signal 130.
The linear interruption-sound signal 132 is then mixed with the
linear voice signal 130 in effect, adding the linear interruption
sound signal 132 to the linear voice signal 130. The resultant
summed signal 230 is linear-coded and is subsequently converted to
a .mu.-law-coded digital transmission signal 1249 by a
linear/.mu.-law converter circuit 33. The digital summed signal 330
is then transmitted by the antenna 46 and received by the other
party, who perceives a mix of voice and interruption sound.
FIG. 8 is a schematic of a switch circuit 269, in accordance with
an embodiment of the present invention. The switch circuit 269
comprises a switch 34 controlled by the processor circuit 69, shown
in FIG. 6. The switch 34 allows the transmission of either the
voice signal 249 or the interruption-sound signal 367, but not
both. The switch circuit 269 provides the ability to switch between
the voice signal 249 and the interruption sound signal 367, by a
switch 34 controlled by the processor circuit 69 initiated by the
interrupter. In this embodiment, voice signal 249 and interruption
sound signal 367 are not transmitted to the terminated party
simultaneously. Therefore, mixer circuits and the like are not
needed.
In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, the
interruption-sound device 61a is suitable to be incorporated into
the external interruption module 60 as shown in FIG. 4A, the ISDE
landline phone 15 as shown in FIG. 4B, and the mobile phone 13 as
shown in FIG. 4C.
Referring again to FIGS. 3 and 4C, it is understood that there are
many locations within or about the mobile phone main functional
components (MFMFC) 100 found in most all mobile phones 13 to
interconnect an interruption-sound device 61 in accordance with
embodiments of the present invention. Example locations include,
but are not limited to, the digital signal processor 56 and the
radio-frequency circuit 58 associated with the transceiver circuit
104.
FIG. 9 is a schematic of a synthesizer-based interruption-sound
device 61b comprising a synthesizer signal generator circuit 66b,
in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Examples
of suitable synthesizer signal generator circuits 66b, include, but
not limited to, voltage-controlled oscillator circuits and
frequency-filtering circuits, and combinations thereof, are
suitable for the particular purpose. Voltage-controlled oscillator
circuits and frequency-filtering circuits are capable of generating
synthesized sound signals, such as white noise to simulate static
and the like. Voltage-controlled oscillator circuits and
frequency-filtering circuits are known in the synthesized musical
instrument arts. The synthesized sound signals are input into the
appropriate location of the telecommunications device, such that
the interruptee perceives the interruption sound.
The synthesizer-based interruption-sound device 61b is suitable to
be incorporated into the external interruption module 60 as shown
in FIG. 4A, the ISDE landline phone 15 as shown in FIG. 4B, and the
mobile phone 13 as shown in FIG. 4C. The synthesizer-based
interruption-sound device 61b is suitable for use in substantially
the same way as the interruption-sound devices 61a described above,
including, but not limited to, with a timer circuit 166 for
automatic call disconnection, a mixer circuit 169, and a switch
circuit 269.
FIG. 10 is a schematic of a frequency altering interruption-sound
device 61c, comprising a modulator and mixer circuit 75 for
frequency translation, frequency changing, and/or heterodyning,
which acts upon the voice signal 249 generated by the microphone
49, in accordance with another embodiment of the present invention.
The modulator and mixer circuit 75 is provided for use with
particular mobile phones 13 that provide the necessary circuitry in
which the modulator and mixer circuit 75 can interact. Such
circuitry is not commonly associated with landline phones, for
example.
The voice signal 249 is modulated in a number of ways, such as, but
not limited to, by summing the voice signal 249 in combination with
a modulating signal to produce interruption sound signal using a
mixer circuit 169 as described above. One characteristic sound that
can be produced in this embodiment includes, but is not limited to,
sound associated with loss of channel locking. This loss of channel
locking sound is produced because the use of this embodiment causes
a loss of channel locking to occur.
In an embodiment in accordance with the present invention, wherein
the mobile phone 13 comprises a multiple radio frequency channel
system, in which each channel has an associated channel frequency
and the channel frequencies of adjacent channels are separated by a
channel spacing, the voice-modulation signal is processed in
combination with one or more analog modulating signals to produce a
radio-frequency output signal at least partially out of a channel
frequency of the multiple channel radio system. The frequency of
the one or more analog modulating signals is adjusted in accordance
with their respective frequency resolutions so as to change and
detune the channel frequency of the output signal to produce poor
sound quality associated with loss-of-signal strength and/or loss
of channel locking.
In accordance with an embodiment of the invention, the frequency
altering interruption-sound device 61c comprises a radio-frequency
phase-locked-loop synthesizer 77. The phase-locked-loop synthesizer
77 and methods of this embodiment is provided for use with
particular mobile phones 13 that provide the necessary circuitry in
which the phase-locked-loop synthesizer 77 can interact. Such
circuitry not associated with landline phones, for example.
FIG. 11 is a schematic of a known radio-frequency phase-locked-loop
synthesizer 77 comprising a radio-frequency oscillator 81 having a
tuned circuit having a resonant frequency defined, such as, but not
limited to, by a varicap diode and an inductor, in accordance with
an embodiment of the present invention. The oscillator 81 is known,
such as, but not limited to, a Hartley or Colpitts oscillator. The
oscillator 81 produces an oscillator output 82 having a frequency
F.sub.LO defined by the resonant frequency of the tuned
circuit.
The oscillator output 82 is supplied to a divider 83, which divides
the oscillator frequency, F.sub.LO, by an integer value, n. The
divided frequency is supplied to a first input of a phase detector
84.
A reference oscillator 85, such as, but not limited to, a
temperature-compensated crystal oscillator, oscillates at a fixed
known frequency. The output of the reference oscillator 85 is
divided by a fixed factor in a fixed divider 86. The output from
the fixed divider 86, the reference frequency, F.sub.REF, is
supplied to a second input of the phase detector 84.
The phase detector 84 generates an output voltage dependent on the
difference in phase between the signal at the first input and the
second input. The output voltage is supplied to a low-pass loop
filter 88, which, in turn, supplies a control voltage to the
oscillator 81, such as, but not limited to, a vericap diode within
the oscillator 81. The loop filter 88 generates a signal that pulls
the phase and frequency F.sub.LO of the oscillator 81 to a value,
which after division by n in the variable divider 83, is equal to
the phase and frequency of F.sub.REF, from the fixed divider
86.
A characteristic problem with the phase-locked loop synthesizer 77
is feed-through of the F.sub.REF signal from the fixed divider 86,
through the phase detector 84, to the signal supplied to the
oscillator 81. An effect of this feed-through is instability in the
phase-locked loop synthesizer 77. Removal of F.sub.REF from the
output of the phase detector 84, and hence any instability in the
phase-locked loop synthesizer 77, is performed by the loop filter
88. However, as the loop filter 88 is a low-pass filter, its effect
is to dampen changes or hops in the frequency F.sub.LO which occur
as a result of changes in integer n.
Without extreme filtering, due to radio frequency feed-through,
sideband frequencies are imposed on the oscillator output 82 from
oscillator 81, which has a corresponding center frequency. These
sideband frequencies will degrade or distort reception of the
desired channel by adding modulation components. In accordance with
an embodiment of the present invention, this phenomenon is
exploited to create interruption sound and to an extreme, cause the
call to be dropped.
In accordance with another embodiment of the present invention, the
interruption sound can be produced by, but not limited to,
removing, changing, and/or modulating the loop filter 88.
The frequency altering interruption-sound device 61c is suitable
for use with a timer circuit 166 for automatic call disconnection
as described above.
FIG. 12 is a front cut-away view of a mobile phone 19 comprising an
antenna 46 and an antenna shielding device 45, in accordance with
another embodiment of the present invention. This embodiment is
suitable for phones having an antenna 46, such as mobile phones and
cordless phones. The antenna 46 comprises an active element 47. The
active element 47 is used herein in the general sense at to mean
the element of the antenna 46 that transmits and/or receives the
transmitted radio frequency signal. It is generally known that the
active element can take on many configurations, such as that of a
straight or coiled wire, among others. The antenna shielding device
45 is adapted to translate to cover at least a portion of the
active element 47. In an embodiment in accordance with the present
invention, the antenna shielding device 45 comprises a handle 43
used to facilitate the translation of the antenna shielding device
45 over or away from the active element 47.
The antenna shielding device 45 is adapted to block or degrade the
transmitted radio-frequency signal a predetermined amount to induce
interruption sounds and/or a dropped call. When call interruption
is desired, the interruptor engages and advances the shielding
device 45 over at least a portion of the active element 47 to
induce a desired degree of blocking to reduce signal strength. Call
disconnection is produced, such as, but not limited to, by
advancing the shielding device 45 over the active element 47
sufficient to block signal transmission, which results in the call
being dropped.
In another embodiment in accordance with the present invention,
call disconnection is effected by the interrupter after a desired
time of transmitting a reduced strength signal by selecting the
"end," "off," or similar means in which the mobile phone is
provided for call disconnection.
In yet another embodiment in accordance with the present invention,
the interfering sounds are aborted by the interruptor removing the
antenna-shielding device 45 away from the active element 47,
restoring signal strength.
Although specific embodiments have been illustrated and described
herein for purposes of description of the preferred embodiment, it
will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that a
wide variety of alternate and/or equivalent implementations
calculated to achieve the same purposes may be substituted for the
specific embodiment shown and described without departing from the
scope of the present invention. Those with skill in the art will
readily appreciate that the present invention may be implemented in
a very wide variety of embodiments. This application is intended to
cover any adaptations or variations of the embodiments discussed
herein.
Persons skilled in the art will recognize that many modifications
and variations are possible in the details, materials, and
arrangements of the parts and actions which have been described and
illustrated in order to explain the nature of this invention and
that such modifications and variations do not depart from the
spirit and scope of the teachings and claims contained therein.
* * * * *